New MLB Rumors on Potential Return of Montreal Expos Amid Exploration of Expansion Cities

More than 20 years after moving to Washington, D.C., and becoming the Nationals, the rebirth of the Montreal Expos reportedly could be a consideration for Major League Baseball in its pursuit of expansion. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, WatchMojo CEO Ashkan Karbasfrooshan is trying to create a team of shareholders in an effort to lure an MLB team back to Montreal. Per Passan, multiple ownership-level sources in MLB believe Montreal is "worthy of monitoring [for an expansion team] because the demographics are impossible to ignore, as is the city's baseball history." A major hurdle standing in the way of MLB expansion has now been cleared, opening the door for the league to potentially welcome its first expansion teams since the Tampa Bay Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks in 1998. According to Passan, the Rays getting approved for a new ballpark and the Athletics moving to Las Vegas have allowed MLB to shift its attention toward expansion with commissioner Rob Manfred saying he wants two expansion cities to be chosen by the time he retires in January 2029. Manfred's preference is one new team on the East Coast and one on the West Coast, opening up myriad options for MLB. Passan listed Montreal, Salt Lake City, Nashville, Raleigh, Orlando and Portland, Oregon, as cities he expects to receive the heaviest consideration for expansion teams. Only Montreal has supported a Major League Baseball team before among those cities, as the Expos played there from 1969 to 2004.